ISE. The 2023 edition of ISE was a success for the global AV and systems integration industry and for the city of Barcelona. Returning to its usual January/February space on the AV calendar, ISE 2023 had 58,107 unique attendees from 155 countries, along with record occupancy at the city's hotels, bars and entertainment venues, and with exhibitors reporting an unprecedented influx at the stands throughout the largest show floor in ISE's history.
Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, commented: "It was an extraordinary week and it is very rewarding for us to look back and realise that we are organising an exceptional trade fair for our sector and for the wonderful city of Barcelona. We had an unprecedented influx of visitors, showcased a wealth of content and inspirational elements. We also received the pioneering visits of the King of Spain on Tuesday and the President of Catalonia on Thursday, which have added a royal and political stamp of approval to the fair. ISE 2023 confirmed to us this week that we can safely say that the global AV and systems integration industry is back with impressive force."
The first day of the fair set the pace of the week with the highest number of visitors ever recorded in an ISE salon who visited the 56,870 square meters of the salon's 6 pavilions and audio demonstration rooms, where the iconic French pioneer of electronic music Jean-Michel Jarre presented his latest album. The trend continued for the rest of the week, with a final total of 58,107 ISE attendees and some 133,606 visits to the show floor.
On the first day, King Felipe VI of Spain toured the fair stopping at some stands to see a small sample of the technology on display. The royal delegation was accompanied by Ada Colau, mayor of Barcelona, Núria Marín, mayor of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Laia Bonet, third deputy mayor of Barcelona. Pere Aragonés, president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, also visited ISE and spent time visiting some of the 70 Catalan companies that have exhibited this week at the Fira Barcelona Gran Vía.
The exhibitors were unanimous in their praise for ISE 2023:
Christine Schyvinck, CEO of Shure: "It's been an amazing few days at ISE! Many inspiring conversations with partners and old friends. We were honored to host His Majesty the King to our booth, and won the inAVation Award for Audio Technology! It has been a very fruitful week and we look forward to further talking."
Luis Garrido, CEO of Alfalite, stated: "We are delighted to have been part of ISE 2023. The fair has reinforced Alfalite's strategic agreements with international partners and has allowed us to show our products to potential regional and foreign distributors." Garrido said about the visit of His Majesty, King Felipe VI, "We are a Spanish company and the only European manufacturer of LED screens with the latest technology, so we are honored by the visit of the King to the stand of our brand."
It is worth mentioning the new content production and distribution area, which debuted in Hall 6. It offered a combination of creativity and technology. With a mix of creativity and technical solutions, the new area inspired integrators and end users in this exciting and fast-growing sector. After this auspicious start, this new space will return in an even more impressive version by 2024.
Thought leadership and inspirational stories were the themes of the three keynote addresses held during the fair. On opening day, Epic Games' BK Johannessen highlighted how technology trends in the video game industry are driving audiovisual innovation to new heights of creativity. His experience in cutting-edge videogame, film and television projects served to attract and entertain the public.
The America's Cup of sailing, one of the oldest and best-known competitions in international sailing, was the backdrop for Stephen Nuttall's presentation on the second day of the fair. As head of television for the race, he recounted his first-hand experience of the unique technical challenges posed by the event and the spectacular results when everything goes according to plan. His unique point of view was the perfect appetizer for the 2024 edition, which will be held in Barcelona. InnoQuotient's Fran Chuan delivered the keynote address on Thursday, February 2: "How innovative is the audiovisual industry?", in which he presented the results of ISE's Culture of Innovation 2023 survey, using the patented InnoQuotient tool.
ISE returns to Barcelona in 2024, from Tuesday, January 30 to Friday, February 2.
